Chapter 48: Battle in the Jungle (Part 1)

In fact, Uther’s abilities went far beyond what he had mentioned. He also possessed certain heroic talents that might not seem as systematic or powerful as those skills, but when used effectively, they could sometimes produce unexpected results. Especially those that had become as instinctive as eating and drinking—these talents could potentially turn the tide of battle in critical moments.

“Besides the exclusive skills of the four great heroes, we also have special innate abilities. The talents I possess include Divine Will, Master of Weapons, Expert-level Mastery of Mounts, and Striking Evil.”

“Can these abilities be improved over time, just like the Demon Hunter talent I have?”

“Yes! My master!”

Donald was not yet very proficient in his own heroic talents, but Uther had granted them to him directly through the Book of Truth. These talents were deeply rooted in his soul, so he didn’t need to get familiar with them again like a beginner.

**Divine Will:** The hero possesses a profound understanding of justice and sacred power, with an unwavering will and faith. He can use his strong will to resist enemy control spells, and his presence alone exerts a deterrent effect on evil and dark creatures.

**Master of Weapons:** The hero has reached a level of mastery in using weapons, enabling him to handle common weapons with ease. He can skillfully use his own weapons to block attacks from armed enemies and even seize their weapons.

**Expert-level Mastery of Mounts:** The hero is skilled in taming, riding, and maintaining mounts. As a result, his riding ability is comparable to that of a elite knight.

**Striking Evil:** Under the power of holy light, ordinary attacks deal increased damage to evil and dark creatures, and the hero possesses remarkable resistance to evil and negative magic.

After reviewing this information, Donald’s opinion of the Knight Templar—a class he had previously disliked—changed. He realized that this seemingly useless hero wasn’t as ineffective as he thought. Although the Knight Templar was a melee hero, he wasn’t as outstanding or powerful as the Demon Hunter, Sword Saint, or King of the Hills. For units engaged in close combat, he was more of a support-oriented hero.

But don’t think that paladins are not powerful—their skills are all very useful. Used well, they can play a crucial role in battle. Moreover, the skill of healing injured units with holy light is extremely practical, especially when dealing with tough enemies. Healing a unit is much cheaper than summoning a new one.

The Divine Shield can protect the hero from death, serve as a living shield, and be used for harassment tactics. The Focus Aura, when used in conjunction with knights and infantry, is even more powerful, especially in large-scale battles, as it can assist many combat units. One can imagine the astonishing results of a group of knights charging together under the Focus Aura’s enhanced defenses.

The final ability, resurrection, is also extremely powerful—it can bring back the dead from the hands of the god of death. However, due to the strong rules underlying this skill, there are many restrictions, and it has not yet been possible to fully utilize its power.

Despite being at the mid-bronze level, Uther, with these abilities, can rival even strong beginners at the silver level. Moreover, thanks to the power of holy light, he has a much larger mana reserve than ordinary mages, with longer duration and faster recovery—basically, he can cast dozens of holy light spells in a day without issue. In contrast, an ordinary bronze mage would run out of mana after casting just a few spells of the same level.

“So, as long as the holy energy accumulated in a day isn’t used up, you can cast your holy light spells multiple times that day?”
“Yes, my master!”
Donald exclaimed in delight, “That’s great! With you around, we won’t have to worry about losses anymore!”
After chatting with his heroic subordinates and seeing that it was getting late, Donald decided to move forward to complete his reconnaissance mission, then return triumphantly under the astonished gazes of the enemies.

As for the sudden emergence of his heroic identity, Donald had already thought it through. He decided to have Uther appear as a vassal knight of the Merlinna family. After the war, he also planned to have him take part in this year’s knight examination to legitimize his status.

The more troublesome aspect was the paladin’s skills with their unique attributes. This world also had professions like paladins and holy warriors. Unlike the paladins in Warcraft, they worshipped true gods, while Donald’s power came from the ideals of justice and the will of the world—similar to those ancient druids who gained blessings from nature through enlightenment.

One is bestowed by a true god, the other is achieved through self-realization. Though different, the two forces are similar. Therefore, once Uther reveals the power of holy light, it is likely to draw inquiries from outsiders. After all, there has never been a holy knight belonging exclusively to a certain true god in this world—unless it’s a fallen holy knight or a heretic who has stolen the powers of the gods. “For these reasons, Uther, you need to avoid showing your abilities in front of outsiders as much as possible. But even without using the power of holy light, in terms of combat skills, you’ve already reached the mid-bronze level. Passing the junior knight examination should be no problem!” “Yes, my master!” As Donald’s first heroic subordinate, Uther, who was completely loyal to his master in spirit, showed no dissent at all. No matter how difficult the task, he would follow his master’s orders and do his utmost to complete it. Compared to Uther’s background, which required fabrication, the issue of faith was easier to resolve. After all, Celt was not one of those faith-based nations controlled by the true god churches. Uther, who worshipped holy light, had no faith in any true gods, making him equivalent to an atheist or a false believer—something deemed unacceptable by those church members. Such non-divine forms of faith had also existed in this world before, such as the long-lost ancient Druid sects, which worshipped the will of nature. There were also shaman priests among some indigenous tribes—spellcasters who sat between priests and mages—whose powers came from ancestral spirits, mountains, rivers, or certain mysterious totems. But since no faction other than the Druids could achieve great success, the gods paid them no attention. However, Uther, a holy knight from another universe, was different. He could gain power without a true god. Holy light was already a mature power system of its own. With enough candidates, batches of holy knights could be trained, potentially overthrowing the gods’ dominance. If the true gods discovered this, they would surely act swiftly to eliminate this threat. Fortunately, as a branch of the ancient magic empire of Bannai, Celt, like its close relative, the mage kingdoms of Polin and Gardre, was a kingdom where the gods’ influence found it difficult to penetrate. Especially since its location was very isolated, only one agricultural goddess had succeeded there over the centuries, and her church was not particularly powerful either—let alone one that overshadowed royal power like the Land of Dawn.

Sendel, located in the eastern part of the continent and known as the Land of Dawn, is a country of faith controlled by the Church of the Three Glorious Gods. Everyone there is a believer, with devout ones praying throughout their lives, having no other desires or needs beyond the gods.

Donald was glad he wasn’t born in such countries. It is said that in Sendel and its surrounding areas, influenced by the religion of the gods, it is not allowed for a person to have no clear faith. People are governed by the will of the gods from birth to death. If a noble is found to be an unbeliever, they may even lose their noble status and power. In the realm of the gods, no other voices are permitted.

For an outsider like Donald, who had received modern education and held atheistic views for decades, a place like the Land of Dawn was nothing short of hell. In his eyes, this was pure religious brainwashing, and such a system was unacceptable. Humans are human precisely because they have their own thoughts, feelings, and desires, which are also the forces driving progress in human society. Even if one believes in the true gods, it should not be done blindly or mechanically, but rather with reason and goodness.

Therefore, as an heir to a Celt noble family, he was not required to hold any faith. As long as he remained loyal to the kingdom, not having a faith made him even more welcome among the Celt elite.